Little Dreams and Hollow Nightmares

Ph2 Ch15: Nailmaster Oro

The crowd cheered for the victory of the "sleeping menaces" against the Lobster Lancer. Seven looked up at the spectators, and raised his weapon in a victorious pose. A small *clink* was heard from the ground, followed by another, and another. Seven looked up, and saw that every spectator was throwing Geo at him and the Grimmchild. Piles, upon piles of Geo filled the arena, and Seven's eyes gleamed. That was certainly more than enough Geo to convince Oro to teach him his nail art!

Using some torn cloth from one of the gladiators, Seven made a few sacks, and gathered up his grand total of 3,000 Geo. The Colosseum exit opened up, and he and his friend left in pride.

"Well, that was tough, but we have enough Geo to convince Oro now!" Seven said. "Now all we have to do is go back...down...the cliffside......again."

Seven groaned. Of course he had to scale another cliffside! How could he not?! Oh well, I guess I'd better get to it then. He thought. He exited the Colosseum, and found himself in a cave he didn't recognize. As he started to wander through, he suddenly heard a loud, *screech* followed by an even bigger explosion. He looked up, and saw the shell of a bug fall down, covered in embers from the Grimmchilds flames. He looked back at his friend to see them looking with the eyes of a hunter, stalking its prey. It protected him.

Seven proceeded through the cave, under the protection of the Grimmchild, and arrived in an elevator shaft. If I jump down this way, I'll most certainly die. He thought. He walked back through the cave, and then found another small tunnel. He crawled through, and found himself back in the large cavern of Kingdoms edge. The Grimmchild protected him against any enemies as he climbed down, and through their teamwork, they arrived at the bottom of the cavern, with no injuries.

After the long struggle against the great hoppers, they finally arrived at Oro's hut. They walked inside, and they were met with the dull, saddened stare of Nailmaster Oro.

"Hmm, you've returned," he said in a cold, emotionless voice. "So what will it be, traveler? Will you pay the price asked of you, or will you leave this place unenlightened again?"

Seven pulled out his bags of Geo, and handed them to Oro. "Take what I owe you, then I shall be ready to train," he said, in his tough voice. Oro counted the Geo, and put a total of 800 in a large chest. Then, he drew his nail and surged towards Seven. He quickly blocked Oro's nail with his own, and the two clashed their weapons against each other.

"You are quick on your feet, impressive for one such as yourself," Oro said. "You must always be ready to fight back against anyone! Even your teacher."

The two of them continued to fight, then Oro began to charge his energy. Knowing full well what was about to happen, Seven charged his energy as well. Oro dashed at him, with blazing speed, as a strong blow came from his nail. Seven managed to counter with the great slash, which made Oro surprised. Seven focused his energy into his nail, and as Oro was about to attack, he unleashed the cyclone slash, which sent Oro further into his surprised state.

"You clearly know how to use your nail, something not everyone can manage," he said. "Enough of this battle, it is clear I do not need to teach you how to defend yourself. We may proceed with learning the nail art."

Seven gave a quick nod, and readied himself.

"You know how to focus your energy, so there's no need to teach you that. What is important, is to know where to focus it," Oro said. "For the cyclone slash, you focus energy into your arms, and weapon. For the great slash, you focus your core. For the dash slash, you focus your energy into your legs."

Seven nodded, and crouched down.

"Once that energy is built up, leap forward with your legs, using that contained energy to send you further, and strike harder with your nail."

Seven nodded, and did exactly as Oro said. Once he built up enough energy into his legs, he leapt forward as if he was about to sprint, and flung his nail forward. A loud cut through the air was heard, and the Grimmchild chirped happily in the success of its bearer.

"Good, but there is yet another way to utilize this technique," Oro said. "For my size, this would be difficult, but for one such as yourself, you should find it possible. When you jump into the air, thrust your legs as if to propel yourself through water, and you should be able to use this art in mid-air."

Seven nodded and tried for himself. Once he was focus he leapt up, and preformed the dash slash in the air. The Grimmchild chirped with excitement, and Seven turned back to Oro. He looked down at Seven, with the same stare he had before, only this time it seemed ever so slightly more at ease.

"Hmph. I must say, you are an excellent pupil," he said. "Your skill with the nail, and your thirst to become stronger... you remind me of my brothers." He walked back to the center of the room, and looked at Seven dead in the eyes. "I have taught you all I can. Go back into the world, traveler, and leave me to my solitude."

He bowed, and Seven heard his voice speak in his head, while dream catcher particles swirled around him. Brother Mato, in your lonely home at the top of the world... do you still think of me as an enemy? In the future, if you will listen... I will tell you why I chose to tread this path. Oro's voice said.

Seven decided that there was no longer a need to stay here. He learned the final Nail art, and could now provide the Grimmchild with a much stronger protection than before. He had learned all that he could here. With that, he bowed, and left Oro in his solitude, just like he asked.

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Oh? Another chapter done? And it hasn't been almost a week? Well I suppose I owe it to you all.

If you enjoy this story, then please comment. While voting is nice, it's the support from the comments that give me the drive to make these chapters for you all.

Also, this story is about to reach its 50th chapter, and I am so surprised that I got this far. Thank you all so much for being with me on this journey.

See you in the 50th chapter! ; )